A Jersey City man vacationing in Spring Lake has drowned in rough surf, authorities said today.

Scott Kirton, 37, went swimming in the ocean Sunday afternoon off the Atlantic Avenue beach and hadn't been seen for some 30 to 40 minutes before his wife summoned police around 3:50 p.m., Spring Lake Police Chief Robert Dawson Jr. said.

Based on the description she gave officers, authorities started searching the beach and notified the lifeguard staff, who organized a line search in the water. They found Kirton's body near the jetty, Dawson said.

He was pronounced dead an hour later at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune.

Yellow flags warning of rough ocean conditions had been posted at the time, Dawson said.

"They had yellow flags out because as the tides were going out, the rip tides were pretty drastic," the police chief said.

Even before the incident, beach staff decided to keep lifeguards on duty until 8 p.m. Sunday because of the beautiful weather and big crowds, Dawson said.

An autopsy conducted today concluded Kirton died of drowning due to asphyxiation, Dawson said. Pending toxicological tests could show whether he suffered a medical episode before drowning.

Dawson said Kirton and his wife were on vacation this week and staying locally.